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The new U.S.-Saudi Arabia nuclear cooperation agreement, which is now with Congress for its mandatory review, upholds “the highest standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation,” at least according to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright. U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media that there will be “no enrichment” in Saudi Arabia under the deal. But anyone reading the agreement would be surprised to learn that it includes a two-year study on the feasibility of uranium enrichment in the kingdom—a technology that can be used to produce fuel for reactors or nuclear bombs. It also does not require Riyadh to adopt the Additional Protocol, a set of enhanced international inspections that help detect covert nuclear activities. These are concerning conditions, particularly given Saudi officials’ past threats to obtain nuclear weapons if Iran does.

The Trump administration’s sales pitch instead frames the deal as a multibillion-dollar opportunity for U.S. nuclear companies. Officials have also downplayed the pathway to enrichment and claimed that, if enrichment happens at all, it will be through a U.S.-built, owned, and operated “black box” facility in Saudi Arabia years down the road. And because the latter has reportedly agreed to rely exclusively on U.S. suppliers, other pathways to the technology would effectively be cut off for the duration of the 30-year agreement. Reading between the lines, the administration’s argument boils down to the following: The deal’s nonproliferation shortcomings don’t matter because the United States controls the program, and it won’t let Riyadh proliferate.

The new U.S.-Saudi Arabia nuclear cooperation agreement, which is now with Congress for its mandatory review, upholds “the highest standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation,” at least according to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright. U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media that there will be “no enrichment” in Saudi Arabia under the deal. But anyone reading the agreement would be surprised to........

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